When you think of B.C. Canada you don’t think heavy metal. You might think of Canada’s (arguably) greatest heavy metal band, Annihilator but that’s about it. Well the four guys that make up Xanimus hope to change that. The band consists of: Brian Morris (guitar/vocals), Chad McCulloch (guitar), Travis Gunn (bass) and Colin Righton (drums).

To my knowledge this 4-song EP is not officially released. It comes without a cover and is a CD-R. However, don’t let the homemade packaging fool you. The music contained therein shows potential for great things to come. In general, what this band has going for it are the vocals, riffs and the drums. What needs more work is the production, guitar sound and to a lesser degree the lead guitars. Each of these are obtainable. The vocals are easily the best element here. The vocals are melodic in a thrash metal sort of way. They are abrasive yet not harsh or nerve grating. One thing I liked about the vocals (and this is not something I usually notice about a band) is the way the timing is in the vocals…by that I mean the actual structure and timing of how the lyrics are phrased. They seem to fit right in there perfectly as if they took quite some time to fit with the riffs. This is not some sort of yelling/barking mindlessly over the riffs…they sound like they were written to fit over the riffs. The opening two tracks, "Iron Door" and "Desultory" are the best at showing this skill. Track 3/4 ("The Cycle of War" and "Shadow of Vesuvius") are not quite as technical or as heavy and are more melodic. So what style of music is this? Well it’s obvious there is a thrash metal influence, but the band does not sound “vicious” like thrash metal. There is also a clear influence from more “groove” metal bands like Sacred Reich. The band manages to incorporate these influences into a whole that makes their influences not so obvious which is an excellent and quite a rare thing for a new band’s first kick at a demo.

If you would like more information on this or would like to find out how you can track down this EP, e-mail the band at xanimus@hotmail.com